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Will's Birthday Dinner at Ngam

Last weekend was Will's birthday weekend celebration and we sure had a lot of fun. I made reservations for Saturday night at Ngam located in the East Village.

Why Ngam? Because, Will and I saw the chef known as Chef Hong on an episode of Iron Chef America going against Iron Chef Bobby Flay. This isn't the full video of the episode, but you can find a two minute clip by clicking here. Although, Bobby Flay won the battle, Chef Hong was still a star to us and after looking at the restaurant menu at Ngam, I thought it would be great to have Will's dinner here.

We got here at 8PM for our reservation. The restaurant was filled with customers and loud, so lucky we made reservations. The restaurant wasn't very big. Since there was 14-16 of us, we shared a long communal table in the center of the restaurant. It wasn't comfortable at all since we all sat on stools and I felt waiters/guests bumping into my back and my friend's backs.

Moving along to the food...

Honey Lychee Martini

Our friend Jack, Will, and I ordered the same cocktail - Honey Lychee Martini. *Note - If you check-in on Yelp at Ngam, you get a free drink with your entree, but it must be under $10, I believe*. The honey lychee martini was good and sweet, but I really liked the cocktail my friend ordered instead.

Pomegranate Mojito

My friend Diane ordered this and while she took a few sips, she told me she didn't really like it to much. I tried it and I fell in love with it so I just happened to take her cocktail too. I absolutely adore any drinks that involve lime or mint, or both. It's just so tasty and refreshing. Love it!

"Peek Gai Tod" Brother Chai's Chicken Wings

We began with appetizers. We ordered the chicken wings which was seasoned with Ngam's house marinade, tamarind chili sauce, and sliced apples. I love how it's served on a wooden platter (very different). I didn't try the wings since I am allergic to spicy foods.

Chiang Mai Fries

The next appetizer was the Chiang Mai Fries. They sure looked different from the fries we're used to seeing. The fries were accompanied with a homemade red curry mayo and sweet & sour peanut relish. I liked the fries which were made of Pumpkin and Sweet Potato, but they certainly weren't the best fries I've had.

Pra Muk Yang Grilled Calamari

The grilled calamari was served in a different style and way then I imagined. They were skewered and a little sweet. It was accompanied with a Thai spicy lime chili dip. I wasn't a huge fan of this.

Por Pia Shitake Mushroom Spring Rolls

Another appetizer we ordered was the spring rolls. I really liked these because the ingredients were seasoned perfectly and the spring roll had a nice crunch to it.

Thai Taco

Some of our friends wanted to try out the Thai taco. It didn't look too special to me, in my opinion. The Thai taco consisted of crispy pork belly, Thai basial sauce, and Thai basil chips. I heard it was spicy, so glad I didn't try it out.

"Yum Nua Yang" Grilled Skirt Steak Salad

Two of our friends had the Grilled Steak Salad for dinner. I know this salad consists of steak, but I also can't believe this salad cost $14.00, yet it was so small. I forgot if our waiter asked our friends about how they wanted their steak, but they should have especially if they don't eat rare steak.

Papaya Pad Thai with Chicken

Will had the Papaya Pad Thai with Chicken and I ended up ordering the same dish, with a slight difference.

Papaya Pad Thai with Beef

I had the Papaya Pad Thai with beef. At first, my Pad Thai was way too spicy for me to handle and I could feel that if I ate any more, I would have a real allergic reaction so I had to send it back to the kitchen to get remade and they did. I had the new dish and it was a tad sweet and tasty. I didn't finish the whole dish since I didn't feel hungry.

I wasn't a big fan of this dish mainly because of the texture. It wasn't real rice noodles, instead they used Papaya as a substitute for noodles.

I really liked the cheesecake. It turned out better than I expected. Every bite of was creamy, sweet, delicious and the strawberry was excellent! Everyone was happy with the cheesecake for the most part and we finished it all. I may want my next birthday cake to be a cheesecake too.

After eating our cake, Chef Hong came around to check on the customers and when she stopped by our table, she shooked hands with Will. OMG, what a star moment! Too bad, we forgot to take a picture with Chef Hong - that would have been a good picture to capture. Maybe next time.

Finally, I would like to personally thank you all of our friends for making Will's birthday dinner a success and memorable one for him. He had a lot of fun this past weekend and there was a lot of good laughs, seeing old friends, meeting new ones, and loads of fun. This dinner would not have been possible without their help and time. Thank you. Love you all!

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